What is Lent?
Lent is a 40 day period (starting on Ash Wednesday) leading up to Easter. We want to spend the last four weeks of Lent in worship and reflection on our great need for a Savior. It is our hope and prayer that these four weeks will help us come to the end of ourselves leading us to the overwhelming celebration of the resurrected Jesus on Easter and finding our fullness in Him.
Journey Together
The first week, we will be in Romans 1-3 following the path of repentance that leads to restoration. The second week, we will dive deep into 1 Corinthians 15 as we are shown the full realities of what the resurrection of Jesus accomplished. For the last two weeks, we will all join together in looking at Jesus’ last teaching in John 13-17 and then the last week of Jesus’ life throughout the Gospels. We encourage you to take the time to meditate deeply in an unhurried manner each day as we want the words on the paper to become the Truths that pierce and shape our hearts and lives. Please join in with us as sharing fellowship in the Word of God leads to our greatest hope, peace, and unity being known in our midst.
Reading Plan
Week 1- Repentance That Leads to Restoration
The season of Lent is meant to humble you in order to prepare you to receive the full blessedness of Jesus. Follow the path downward in this section of Romans that would put you in a place of being hungry to receive all that Jesus promises and accomplished. Each day, slow down, reflect deeply on what Jesus has done and why you need Him. Repent (turn away from and turn to Jesus) of whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to.
- March 21st - Romans 1:16-17
- March 22nd - Romans 1:18-32
- March 23rd - Romans 2:1-29
- March 24th - Romans 3:1-20
- March 25th - Romans 3:21-31
Week 2- The Resurrected Life
We invite you to take a deep dive with Paul into the glorious work that Jesus accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. Allow the Holy Spirit through the pastoral leadership of Paul, to usher you into a place where you are confronted by your own sin and great need and allow that to lead you to the riches of grace lavished upon you through the broken body, shed blood, and victorious resurrection of Jesus. Do your best to slow down and be unhurried as you engage this time. Journal your thoughts, questions, insights, and prayers if you are able to.
- March 28th - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
- March 29th - 1 Corinthians 15:12-34
- March 30th - 1 Corinthians 15:35-49
- March 31st - 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
- April 1st - 1 Corinthians 15:1-58
Week 3- The Parting Words of Jesus
After the passover celebration with His disciples, Jesus gathered them for His final teachings before the Crucifixion. Jesus knew what laid ahead over the next three days. These are His last words while with the disciples. He had been preparing the disciples to carry on His mission after His upcoming death and resurrection. Read Jesus’ last teachings through the eyes of the disciples. What is impactful or significant? What does this teaching reveal about the heart and purpose of Jesus? How does this teaching shape your actions and attitudes. What does Jesus want you to think, feel, and do as one whom He loves and gave His life for, and folding you into His victory in the resurrection?
Week 4- Holy Week
This week will allow you to walk the steps of Jesus and those around Him in the last week leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection. Allow yourself to be drawn into the story. Ask God to help you experience what everyone involved experienced: Jesus, the disciples, other followers of Jesus, the crowds, the pharisees, the government, etc… Ask the Holy Spirit to work in your heart and mind to truly put flesh on what happened this week, what Jesus endured, and what He accomplished. There is a lot of reading this week. Please feel great freedom to engage this as is best for you. For some, you will want to get the multi-faceted insights that comes from reading each Gospel as you experience the last week of Jesus from different perspectives. For others, you may just want to focus on one of the Gospels and track with it. At the end of the day, they will all usher you into understanding Jesus more and experiencing His love and grace through His life, death, and resurrection. He is Risen!!
- Sunday, April 10th (Palm Sunday) - Matthew21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:9-19
- Monday, April 11th - Matthew 21:12-22; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48
- Tuesday, April 12th - Matthew 21:23-26:5; Mark 11:27-14:2; Luke 20:1-22; John 12:37-50
- Wednesday, April 13th - Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-11; Luke 22:3-6
- Thursday, April 14th - Matthew 26:17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-71; John 13:1-18:27
- Friday, April 15th - Matthew 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 23:1-56; John 18:28-19:42
- Saturday, April 16th - Jesus is dead in the grave. Sit in silence in the presence of God and allow the Holy Spirit to usher you into the wonder of the sacrifice of Jesus.
- Sunday, April 17th (Easter) - Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-22